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Willi Ninja
William Roscoe Leake (April 12, 1961 – September 2, 2006), better known as Willi Ninja, was an American dancer and choreographer best known for his appearance in the documentary film ''Paris Is Burning''.Juan Battle, Sandra L. Barnes, ''Black sexualities: probing powers, passions, practices, and policies'', pp. 26-9. Ninja, a gay man known as the godfather of voguing, was a fixture of ball culture at Harlem's drag balls who took inspiration from sources as far-flung as Fred Astaire and the world of haute couture to develop a unique style of dance and movement. He caught the attention of ''Paris Is Burning'' director Jennie Livingston, who featured Ninja prominently in the film. The film, both a critical and box office success, served as a springboard for Ninja. He parlayed his appearance into performances with a number of dance troupes and choreography gigs. In 1989, Ninja starred in the music video for Malcolm McLaren's song "Deep in Vogue," which sampled the then-unfinish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vogue (dance) originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It gained mainstream exposure when it was featured in Madonna's song and video "Vogue (Madonna song), Vogue" (1990), and when showcased in the 1990 documentary ''Paris Is Burning (film), Paris Is Burning'' (which went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival). In its modern form, this dance has become a global phenomenon that continues to evolve both stylistically and demographically.
Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance House dance is a freestyle street dance and social dance that has roots in the underground house music scene of Chicago and New York. History This style of dance arose from Harlem Ball culture, ballroom cultur ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. It is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). The park is an open space, dominated by the Washington Square Arch at the northern gateway to the park, with a tradition of celebrating nonconformity. The park's fountain area has long been one of the city's popular spots, and many of the local buildings have at one time served as homes and studios for artists. Many buildings have been built by New York University, while others have been converted from their former uses into academic and residential buildings. __TOC__ Location and features Located at the foot of Fifth Avenue, the park is bordered by Washington Square North (known as Waverly Place east and west of the park), Washington Square East (known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alright (Janet Jackson Song)
"Alright" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fourth studio album, ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989). Written by Jackson and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the song was released on March 4, 1990, by A&M Records as the fourth single from ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814''. In the United Kingdom, it was issued as the album's fifth single in June 1990. While it was to become the only single of the seven released off the ''Rhythm Nation 1814'' album to not hit the top-two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number four, it became the fourth consecutive single from the album to reach number one on the Dance Club Songs, helping Jackson break a record set by Madonna. "Alright" earned Jackson two 1991 Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. Composition "Alright" samples Lyn Collins' 1972 song "Think (About It)" and the song's final hook samples B.T. Express' 1974 song "Do You Like It". The song was recorded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV, enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process. Lyrical content which focused on social issues and lived experiences set her reputation as a role model for youth. The tenth and youngest child of the Jackson family, she began performing at the MGM Grand. She starred in the variety television series ''The Jacksons'' in 1976 and went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including '' Good Times'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', and '' Fame''. After signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third and fourth studio albums ''Control'' (1986) and ''Rhythm Nation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfgang Busch
Wolfgang Busch (born November 6, 1955 in Heppenheim, Germany) is a two-time Humanitarian award winner, was inducted into the Queens Business Hall of Fame for his company Art From The Heart Films, was inducted into the LGBT Hall of Fame and is a multiple award winning documentary filmmaker, director, producer, cinematographer and editor, including a humanitarian award for his documentary ''How Do I Look''. He also received a "Keep The Dream Alive" Martin Luther King Humanitarian award for his social and artistic activism for the Black and Hispanic LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Ballroom community, aka Harlem Drag Ball community. He is an entrepreneur, grass-root organizer, motivator, inspirational and touches people life's from all walks of life. His Art In Education Documentaries are screened worldwide. He lectures about Artistic Empowerment and HIV/AIDS education at the most prestigious universities, Yale, NYU, Penn State, not for profit organizations The Door, LGBT C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
How Do I Look
''How Do I Look'' is a 2006 American documentary directed by Wolfgang Busch. The film chronicles ball culture in Harlem and Philadelphia over a ten-year period. Overview Wolfgang Busch began interviewing subjects from the ball circuit in the mid-1990s and continued filming for a decade. ''How Do I Look'' documents the ball culture, which began in the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance, and has since influenced mainstream artists and musicians. The film follows several ball "legends" such as Willi Ninja, Kevin UltraOmni, Octavia St. Laurent, Pepper LaBeija and Jose Xtravaganza. Many of the subjects that are featured in ''How Do I Look'' were also featured in the 1990 documentary '' Paris Is Burning''. ''How Do I Look'' also explores the prejudices members of the ball culture face due to their sexuality and race. In a 2005 ''New York Times'' article, choreographer Willi Ninja commented about the mainstream society's readiness to embrace facets of ball culture while also rejecti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's List of Super Bowl lead-out programs, lead-out programming for Super Bowl XXXVII. ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is produced by Kimmelot in association with ABC Signature. It holds the title as the longest running late-night talk show on the network, having aired for more than three times as long as either ''The Dick Cavett Show'' (1969–1975) or ''Politically Incorrect'' (1997–2002). Overview For its first 10 years, the show aired at either the midnight or 12:05 a.m. timeslots before moving to 11:35 p.m. ET beginning on January 8, 2013, to more directly compete with ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' and ''Late Show with David Letterman'' while bumping the ABC nightly news program ''N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. Hilton first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s, when she became a fixture in NYC's social scene, and ventured into modeling at age 19, signing with Donald Trump's agency Trump Model Management. After David LaChapelle photographed her and sister Nicky for the September 2000 issue of '' Vanity Fair'', Hilton was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001. The reality television series ''The Simple Life'' (2003–2007), in which she starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2001 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as '' 1 Night in Paris'' (2004), catapulted her into global fame. Hilton published her debut book, ''Confessions of an Heiress'' (2004), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karole Armitage
Karole Armitage (born March 3, 1954) is an American dancer and choreographer currently based in New York City. She is artistic director of Armitage Gone! Dance, a contemporary dance company that performs several times annually in New York City as well as touring internationally. She was dubbed the “punk ballerina” in the 1980s. She earned a Tony nomination for her choreography of the Broadway musical ''Hair''. Early life and early career Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Armitage grew up dividing her time in two places: Gothic, Colorado, and Lawrence, Kansas. Gothic was the site of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory where her father, a biologist, did research. Armitage began studying ballet in Lawrence, Kansas at the age of four with former New York City Ballet dancer Tomi Wortham, followed by classes in Crested Butte, Colorado with Shirley Strabhaur. She then continued her studies with Ballet West in Aspen and Salt Lake City, at the School of American Ballet, the Harkness ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corsets, marinières, and Steel and tin cans, tin cans. Gaultier founded his self-titled fashion label in 1982, and expanded with a line of Perfume, fragrances in 1993. He was the creative director for French luxury house Hermès from 2003 to 2010, and retired following his 50th-anniversary haute couture show during Paris Fashion Week in January 2020. Aside from his work in the fashion industry, Gaultier co-presented the first seven series of the television series ''Eurotrash (TV series), Eurotrash'' with Antoine de Caunes from 1993–1997. Biography Early life Gaultier grew up in a suburb of Paris. His mother was a clerk and his father an accountant. It was his maternal grandmother, Marie Garrabe, who introduced him to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nervous Records (US)
Nervous Records is an American record label specializing in underground house and hip hop, founded in 1991. As of February 2022, Nervous is releasing several house and techno tracks on a weekly basis. The label also is involved in producing nightclub events at many prominent venues around New York, including The Brooklyn Mirage, Superior Ingredients, and The Brooklyn Monarch. DJ Magazine states that the label's cartoon character logo is an iconic record label logo in the music industry. Mike Weiss is co-founder, along with his father, Sam Weiss. Sam Weiss was also the founder and president of the Disco Era imprint, Sam Records. Mike Weiss graduated from Stanford University in 1983 with a BA, Syracuse University Law School in 1986 with a JD, and the Newhouse School of Communications in 1986 with an MFA in Film. Nervous has released music from many of the legendary producers in dance music, including Masters At Work, Armand Van Helden, Todd Terry, Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La India
Linda Viera Caballero (born March 9, 1969), better known as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album for the ''Intensamente La India Con Canciones De Juan Gabriel'' album. Early life Caballero was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Both her parents moved to New York City soon after her birth, settling in the South Bronx area of the city. Initially, they lived with Caballero's grandmother, a woman who served as an important influence on Caballero's life. Caballero began singing as a young girl, even taking opera training for a brief time. Her stage name, La India, was given to her by her grandmother because of her dark features and long, straight, black hair. La India describes herself as a feminist, having watched her father abuse her mother while she hid under the bed. Career 1985: Early career In 1985, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
